Building an Advanced WordPress Search with Better_Search_Query

Better Search enhances WordPress’s native search capabilities to deliver more relevant results to visitors. At the heart of this functionality is the Better_Search_Query class, which you can use for optimal search performance on your site.

What is Better_Search_Query?

The Better_Search_Query class extends WordPress’s native WP_Query class, significantly improving search relevance and performance. It implements MySQL’s FULLTEXT indexing and provides advanced search operators that help users find relevant search results.

Implementing Better_Search_Query in Your Theme

Basic Implementation

To use Better_Search_Query in your theme, you can create a custom search template:

<?php
/**
 * Custom search template using Better_Search_Query
 *
 * @package YourTheme
 */

get_header();

// Parameters for Better_Search_Query.
$args = array(
    's'              => get_search_query(),
    'post_type'      => 'post',
    'posts_per_page' => 10,
);

// Create a new Better_Search_Query instance.
$better_search_query = new Better_Search_Query( $args );

// Get the search results.
$search_results = $better_search_query->get_posts();

if ( $search_results ) :
    echo '<div class="search-results">';

    foreach ( $search_results as $post ) :
        setup_postdata( $post );
        ?>
        <article id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>
            <header class="entry-header">
                <h2 class="entry-title">
                    <a href="<?php the_permalink(); ?>"><?php the_title(); ?></a>
                </h2>
            </header>

            <div class="entry-summary">
                <?php the_excerpt(); ?>
            </div>

            <div class="search-relevance">
                <?php echo esc_html( $post->score ); ?> relevance
            </div>
        </article>
        <?php
    endforeach;

    wp_reset_postdata();
    echo '</div>';
else :
    ?>
    <p><?php esc_html_e( 'No results found. Please try different search terms.', 'your-theme-textdomain' ); ?></p>
    <?php
endif;

get_footer();

Advanced Configuration

For more control, you can configure Better_Search_Query with additional parameters. You can also post most WP_Query parametersOpens in a new window.

<?php
// Advanced parameters for Better_Search_Query.
$args = array(
    's'                      => get_search_query(), // This tells WP_Query that it is a search result.
    'post_type'              => array( 'post', 'page', 'product' ),
    'posts_per_page'         => 20,
    'orderby'                => 'date', // Order by date instead of relevance.
    'order'                  => 'DESC', // Descending order of dates i.e. newest first.
    'boolean_mode'           => true, // Enable Boolean mode.
);

$better_search_query = new Better_Search_Query( $args );

Advanced Features

Using Boolean Operators

Better Search supports MySQL’s Boolean mode for complex searches:

  • +word: Word must be present
  • -word: Word must not be present
  • >word: Increases relevance of word
  • <word: Decreases relevance of word
  • *: Wildcard for partial matching
  • "phrase": Exact phrase matching

Troubleshooting

No Results Found

If your searches return no results, check these common issues:

  1. Query Errors: Check this article to understand how to identify the Better Search Query.
  2. FULLTEXT Indexing: Ensure your database tables have FULLTEXT indexes enabled. You can recreate these in the Tools page.
  3. Post Types: Verify that the post types you’re searching for are included in your query parameters.

Performance Optimization

For large sites, consider these performance tips:

  1. Limit Search Fields: Include only the necessary fields.
  2. Cache Results: Implement a caching mechanism for search results. WP_Query now supports caching via the object cache.
  3. Paginate Results: Use pagination to limit the number of results per page.

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